About The Owls • The Kennesaw State University baseball program are in the midst of its 32nd season of varsity play in 2015.
• The Owls are in the midst of its 10th season in the Atlantic Sun Conference, joining the Division I ranks in 2006. Kennesaw State entered the season with an all-time record of 1,114-651-2 (.631) in 31 seasons.
• The Black and Gold entered the season with an all-time record of 265-231 (.534) in the A-Sun since joining the league in 2006.
• KSU won the school's first-ever Division I Championship in 2014, defeating Lipscomb in the title game 7-1.
• The Owls own a pair of national titles to their names, winning the 1994 NAIA National Championship as well as the 1996 NCAA Division II Championship, both under current head coach
Mike Sansing.
• Kennesaw State competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference, which features eight private and public institutions in the region.
The Road Ahead• The Kennesaw State University baseball team hits the road for the second consecutive week, playing four road games this week.
• The Owls defeated Troy for the first time since 2007 with a 3-2 triumph Wednesday evening.
Chris Erwin tossed a career-high 8.0 innings, allowing just two runs to help secure the midweek win.
•KSU turns around and treks to Highland Heights, Kentucky to take on Northern Kentucky University for a three-game series to continue Atlantic Sun Conference play. The Owls and the Norse will begin their series at 3 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon at Bill Aker Baseball Complex. Saturday's contest will begin at approximately 1 p.m. ET before concluding the series with a noon start on Sunday.
Coach Sansing: Mr. 1,000* Head coach
Mike Sansing achieved the extraordinary on Friday, March 27, earning his 1,000th career victory in a 5-0 win over USC Upstate.
• Coach Sansing became the 72nd NCAA Division I collegiate baseball head coach to complete the milestone; senior associate athletics director
Scott Whitlock—who also put together a 27-year career as the KSU head softball coach, referred the achievement as a "mythical milestone".
• Sansing now boosts a 1,003-535 (.652) all-time record. He began his collegiate coaching for three seasons at Shorter, compiling a 102-55 record before being announced as the skipper for the Owls on August 21, 1991.
• Sansing has two national championships, 20 Coach of the Year honors, 10 national tournament appearances and over 40 players drafted in the MLB. The program reached new heights in 2014 when it advanced to the 2014 Super Regional after defeating Alabama in the Tallahassee Regional, capping off the most successful season at the Division I level.
Play Ball• Kennesaw State enters the weekend 5-9 away from Stillwell Stadium this season, batting .236 (114-for-483) in 14 games. The Owls are 5-6 in non-conference road games this season and 0-3 in Atlantic Sun play.
• Kennesaw State is coming off its most impressive non-conference road win of the season, defeating Troy 3-2 Wednesday (April 8) evening. It was the first win against the Trojans since 2007 and first-ever victory at Riddle-Pace Field.
• KSU has compiled 25 doubles, one triple and 12 homers on the road. The Owls have totaled one home run in four of their last five road games, including a homer in three-straight games away from Stillwell Stadium –which extended when
Drew Davis hit a solo home run at Troy last Wednesday evening in a 3-2 win.
• Kennesaw State owns a .313 on-base percentage in 14 road games, led by
Corey Greeson and
Chris McGowan –who have both reached base safely six straight games on the road.
• KSU's most successful inning on the road this season has been the second frame, outscoring its opponents 15-5. In fact, the Owls are 14-4 when scoring the first run this season, which gives them a big advantage when scoring early in the second inning. For the season, KSU has outscored its opponents 25-12 in the second inning and 40-21 through the first two frames of play.
• Kennesaw State totaled two more home runs last weekend against the Hatters and one against Troy, giving them a total of 25 in 32 games this season. It is second in the A-Sun behind only North Florida's 29 and five clear of Stetson's 20. But, the Owls have played the least amount of games compared to UNF and Stetson.
• Kennesaw State will enter the weekend averaging 5.5 runs per game and 9.2 hits per game in 32 games. The Owls have totaled 14 games with at least 10 hits in a game and four games with at least 10 RBI in a game.
Scouting Northern Kentucky• Northern Kentucky is led by head coach Todd Asalon, who entered his 15
th season as the skipper at NKU. Asalon owns a 456-356-1 record as the Norse manager, while leading Northern Kentucky to the NCAA Division II Tournament eight times.
• NKU finished its final season competing at the D-II level in the GLVC with a 36-22 overall record and a 25-11 conference record, ending the season in second place and advanced to the second round of the Midwest Regional Tournament.
• The Norse joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2013 and is 1-7 all-time against Kennesaw State. The Owls has won the last six meetings, outscoring NKU 65-17.
• Northern Kentucky plays its home games at Bill Aker Baseball Complex, which the Norse are 5-1 in front of their home fans this season. NKU is 5-14 away from its home turf.
• Cole Bauml leads the Norse in multiple categories offensively batting .386 in 28 starts, which is also ranked second in the Atlantic Sun. Bauml leads the Norse with 44 hits, 22 doubles, one triple and seven home runs. His .781 slugging percentage and .470 on-base percentage also paces NKU's lineup.
• Davis Head also has had a strong season at the plate, batting .317 with 26 hits, four doubles and one home run. He owns a .402 slugging percentage and a .364 on-base percentage.
• Cody Kuzniczci has added to the Norse's potent offense this year, totaling 31 hits, 11 doubles, one triple and two homers for 15 RBI in 26 starts.
• Justin Watts is scheduled to open the weekend series on the mound Friday night for Northern Kentucky. Watts is a right-handed pitcher with a record of 1-2 and an ERA of 6.52. Watts has worked 19.1 innings on the bump, striking out 13 batters and walking just four.
• Evan Korson will make Saturday's start for the Norse. He enters the weekend with an ERA of 3.54 with an overall record of 2-3 in two starts. Overall, Korson has nine appearances on the mound and has tossed 28 innings for NKU.
• Left-handed pitcher Matt Jefferson will conclude the series on Sunday afternoon for the Norse. He sits at 1-5 with an ERA of 6.89 in nine starts for Northern Kentucky. He has totaled 33 strikeouts while issuing 16 walks.
• NKU is averaging 5.1 runs per game and batting .280 as a team through 28 games this season.
McGowan's Streaking • Senior first baseman
Chris McGowan is currently on a 12-game hitting streak dating back to March 21 against William & Mary.
• McGowan has three multi-hit games during the streak and has gone 15-for-43 (.349) at the plate. He has compiled four doubles and home run one and 13 runs scored with 12 walks.
• Prior to the hitting streak, McGowan was batting just .185 (10-for-54) with three doubles, one triple and four RBI. Over the streak, the senior has bumped his batting average up 78 points to .258 on the season. In all, McGowan has seven doubles, one triple and one home run for seven RBI.
1-2 Punch•
Jordan Hillyer and
Travis Bergen are slated to start Friday and Saturday, respectively, on the mound this weekend against Northern Kentucky.
• The two are at the top of the Atlantic Sun in strikeouts, combining for 93 while walking 36 batters. It's the most strikeouts combined at the top of a rotation in the A-Sun this season. Hillyer leads the conference with 60 strikeouts in 49.2 innings while Bergen has 53 in 53.2 innings of work.
• Hillyer will enter the weekend holding opponents to a .197 batting average while Bergen is right behind at .222. Both have made eight starts this season.
Keeping Track Of Former Owls• The Owls' recent success in past years has seen multiple players get drafted in the MLB. In fact, KSU has had at least one player get selected in seven consecutive years.
• RHP Ryan Rodebaugh has been assigned to the Round Rock Express, AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
• Former Owl outfielder Josh Whitaker has been assigned to the Nashville Sounds, the AAA affiliate of the Oakland A's.
• LHP Kenny Faulk will start the 2015 season with the Toledo Mud Hens, the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
• Alan Beusnitz, a RHP, has been assigned to the Arkansas Travels, a AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.
• OF
Bo Way, who was a part of the 2014 Super Regional team at KSU, has been assigned to the Inland Empire 66ers, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Angels.
• The Buffalo Bisons, a AAA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, will have RHP Chad Jenkins on the team to begin the season.
Season tickets are currently on sale for the full 29-game home schedule at $39 per ticket. Single-game tickets are also available at $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 3-12). Group tickets for 10 or more people are available for advanced purchase, excluding the Georgia (Feb. 17), Georgia Tech (Mar. 17) and Georgia Southern (Mar. 24) games when individual tickets will be $10 for adults and $6 for youth. To order season tickets click
here, or contact the KSU Athletic Ticket Office at 470-578-OWLS (6957).
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
- #GoKSUOwls -
